


Sons of Libertea

by gamegrumpsfanimated



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, Ham and Eliza are besties, Lafayette likes conspiracy theories, Loosely a college fic, More tags to be added, Multi, Other, Try and stay with me on this I'm trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:53:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8159593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamegrumpsfanimated/pseuds/gamegrumpsfanimated
Summary: Eliza, a fresh new young adult out in the world, takes up a job at the coffee shop down the street. As expected, miss Maria Reynolds walks into her life and makes things a hell of a lot more confusing for her.Featuring Eliza being bad at communicating her feelings and Maria being amused throughout it all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic is something I'll try to be working on as often as I can. Let's see how it goes.

Eliza likes to think that she's a simple person.  
  
She was aware she wasn't particularly outstanding or talented, dabbling in a couple of hobbies and doing what she thought felt good. Peggy had once told her she was a pretty nice painter, so Eliza at least had that to look forward to.  
  
Freshly out in the world as a young adult, just turning twenty two, Eliza Schuyler had large plans for her life. Unfortunately, it had to start with working in a small coffee shop some ways down the street. She hasn't needed to pick up a job there, but.. She felt like if she had used her own money (which she did have a lot of, being a Schuyler sister) and just gone through buying her way through life, it would be rather... Boring. Besides, the coffee shop ( _Sons of Libertea_ ) was full of interesting people. She'd only been employed there for a couple days, but she was already taking a liking to her peers and numerous customers that walked in and out every day.  
  
Upon entering the shop, Eliza was greeted with the sweet smell of coffee and sweets, and the warmth of the shop was comforting. She always felt right at home here. From behind the counter, a man grinned broadly at her as he marked a medium-sized cup.  
  
"Alex!" Eliza smiled, walking a bit faster as she made her way to the man behind the counter - he looked the same as always; scraggly black hair barely held in his bun, dark circles under his eyes, a charming smile and eyes so intelligent and bright that Eliza couldn't help but stare whenever she was able to sneak an unnoticed glance. He was the first one that welcomed her to her job, and Eliza never tired of his company. "I was wondering when you'd finally show up," Alexander marked another cup, the name _Seabury_  written in neat, swirly letters on the cup.  
  
Eliza huffed a laugh, glancing down to the steam rising off the cups on the counter. "I was only five minutes late, nothing entirely big could've happened while I was gone in that time." Alex made an attempt to fake a pout as he started readying another order.  
  
"Pffft, wrong. You missed _everything_. Beyonce had come into the shop and dropped three new surprise albums and gave us all tickets to her concert." He said this deadpan, arms crossed. John Laurens, a short, freckled man with bushy hair tied in a ponytail, had passed by with a grin, "That's true, I was there."  
  
Eliza laughed, handing a cup over to a woman named _Sally_ , who was desperately trying to reach past her. Sally, a small girl with a small-ish afro and wide eyes, smiled toothily at her before retreating back out the door. "Well, I'd better get to work, then." Eliza rolled her eyes, tying her apron as she stepped behind the counter beside Alexander. All throughout her shift, Alexander kept blabbering on about everything and anything, with occasional comments from Laurens across the room. Unlike everyone else standing by, Eliza was listening intently and hung onto Alex's every word.  
  
"I'm telling you guys," a moments pause, "the Illuminati is real, there is actual proof." Lafayette, a tall and lanky Frenchman with curly hair tied back in a blue ribbon, stared expectantly at his friends gathered around the table with him. Everyone only stared back.  
  
Angelica was the first one to start laughing, little giggles turning into loud cackles. Everyone else was giggling too after a second, even Lafayette, who had gotten over it instantly. Their lunch breaks were always like this - they'd grab some takeout, sit down at the big, round table outside and talk. Lafayette was especially intrigued with conspiracy theories, but most of his "predictions" were rather off-the-wall and had very small chances of being proven true. He insisted that he tell them a conspiracy every day, and it's become pretty natural at this point. Eliza couldn't be happier with the settlement.  
  
After lunch break, they'd all trudge back to work and get going again. Generally, the place would be extremely busy after lunch, and the group often found themselves knocking into eachother in a rush to finish up an order. It was natural now.  
  
The day had gotten a bit slower - it was around five, and the shop felt less packed. This was pretty much Eliza's favourite part of the day, unwinding and settling down after a particularly busy day. She was about to finish up the last order of the day, to a man named _C. Lee_ when she heard the bell on the door ring quietly to indicate that someone had stepped in. Eliza immediately looked up and nearly choked. The woman that had just walked in was - well, absolutely _gorgeous_.  
  
Her figure was delicate and small, yet she looked so confident and sure of herself. Eliza was sure the woman could easily beat the shit out of her without a second thought. Her curly hair cascaded down her shoulders and framed her small, rounded face. Her lips were set in a deep shade of red, making her look absolutely stunning. She looked extremely young, possibly the same age as Eliza... Feeling she'd been staring too long, Eliza snapped her gaze back to the coffee she was holding in a slightly shaking hand, trying to pretend that the flush on her cheeks was caused by the warmth of the room. The woman sauntered over to the counter, and Eliza nearly fainted when she again caught site of the woman's deep, brown eyes, sparkling like little galaxies. The woman clicked her tongue as she peered at the overhead menu, her tongue pressed just slightly between her teeth as she pored over her options. When she'd finally ordered, Eliza could rarely focus on her actual order, rather paying attention to the sweet, sultry sound of her voice and the way she looked when she smiled, all teeth and wide grins. Jotting down her order with trembling hands, Eliza set off to work, nearly spilling hot water all over the front of her clothes. Eventually she walked back to where the woman was standing, cup and sharpie marker in hand.  
  
"Name?" Eliza asked, surprised that her voice came out even. The woman smiled yet again at her.  
  
"Reynolds."  
  
In a hurry to write down _Reynolds_ in her elegantly cursive scrawl, Eliza handed the steaming cup to the woman,  _Reynolds_ , who took it graciously. She thanked Eliza and stepped out the door.  
  
Certain that Reynolds was out of sight, Eliza rushed to pick up her phone and started dialing the first number she could think of.  
  
"Angelica, I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little short. Sorry for my absence!

"Again, sorry for bringing all this up at the last second.."  
  
"Eliza, how many times do I have to say that it's okay?"  
  
Eliza glanced up at her older sister, who only smiled at her, eyebrows raised. Eliza always came to Angelica for advice - she was the oldest, and much smarter and wiser than most. She was a tough love sort of person, never sugarcoating anything for anybody, even for Eliza or Peggy. Even with that, Angelica was the person that would do anything for her sisters at any given time. She was complex and it made her all the more interesting. Eliza was always dazzled by Angelica, even after all these years.  
  
Eliza fiddled with the bottom of her shirt, biting her lip. It's only been a week since her first encounter with that woman, _Reynolds_ , and she couldn't help but feel like it had just happened. It didn't help that the woman became a regular at the shop, always walking in with the same sway in her step, the same grin that made Eliza's heart stop in her chest. Eliza admired her and stole every glance she could. It was only today that she'd mentioned her crush ( _Crush? You don't even know her first name!_ ) to her older sister, in the middle of some Chinese restaurant. Eliza's timing was always pretty bad. As expected, she was met with an amused smile and a curious glance. Angelica had started to laugh at her, quiet giggles that made Eliza flush with embarrassment.  
  
"Eliza, oh my god," Angelica wheezed, a hand over her chest. She shook her head, smiling. "Eliza, are you telling me you got yourself in the most bullshit indie-movie-slash-young-adult-novel scenario by falling in love with a girl you don't even know?" At Eliza's timid nod, Angelica laughed again, wiping a tear from her eye. Eliza focused her gaze on her feet, finding the floor rather interesting. Soft pink and black flower patterns on baby blue tiles. Nice pick.  
  
"Eliza. 'Liza, come on, look at me." Eliza forced herself to meet her sister's eyes, relieved when she saw no sense of actual mockery there, only unending warmth.  
  
"I'm not saying you can't have a crush on this woman, nothing of the sort.." Angelica started, arranging her hands on the table in a very matter-of-fact way. "But," a pause as she waited for the younger to catch up, "you need to be careful. I mean, it's not exactly the best idea, you know? You have no idea how risky this is." Another pause. Her face was unreadable and guarded. "All I'm asking is just..." Angelica sighed, shaking her head. "Don't be reckless, okay?"  
  
Eliza, confused, nodded along and watched Angelica's expression change from serious to relieved back to serious again. Her sister was always complex and difficult to completely understand, but Eliza never doubted her judgement, and if Angelica said that she needed to be careful, then that's what she'd do. She trusted Angelica.  
  
"With _that_ aside, we should probably eat before our food gets too cold." The change of subject left Eliza feeling stranded, but she nodded and let herself enjoy the rest of the evening with her older sister.  
  
"Elizabeth Schuyler, you are the worst."  
  
The hour before the first shifts started was spent with Eliza, Angelica, Peggy, Lafayette, Laurens, and Alex all crowded around a table, tittering on and on about whatever came to mind.  
  
"I'm telling you guys!" Lafayette protested, frowning. "Aliens. Are real."  
  
A moment of silence before Alex started howling with laughter, banging on the table with his hands. Laurens nearly fell out of his seat and right into Angelica's side. Peggy snorted loudly, covering her mouth with her hand, and Eliza was barely biting back a smile.  
  
"You guys are the _worst_ ," Lafayette grumbled, crossing his arms childishly. Angelica cackled, patting his back. "Awhhh. It's okay. I'm sure your boyfriend will listen to your conspiracies-"  
  
"First of all!" Lafayette shouted, dark face flushed red. "He's not my boyfriend!"  
  
Eliza raised an eyebrow, knowing well who they were talking about. Hercules Mulligan, a big, dark, tall and strong guy who stuck to Lafayette like glue, always hanging around him and never spending a second without touching him in some way, whether it be always having an arm around his shoulder and just tapping his leg gently when they sat next to eachother. Eliza found their relationship, whatever it was, adorable.  
  
"Oh yeah. Because friends totally kiss eachother all the time." Peggy grinned behind her cup, rolling her eyes. Lafayette made a choked sound, which only spurred on more laughing from Laurens and Alex.  
  
"It was not a kiss! How many times must I tell you all that we had just been embracing?" Lafayette sputtered, whole face red. Alex giggled, leaning on the Frenchman's shoulder. "Embracing the fact that y'all two are definitely gay for eachother." Everyone laughed at that, even Lafayette.  
  
"How many times do I gotta tell you that _y'all_ is _my_ word? I trademarked that shit." Angelica complained loudly and dramatically.  
  
Laurens spoke up, sounding drunk, which was confusing because all of them had only been drinking coffee. "You trademarked it?"  
  
"Oh yeah. If any a y'all use my trademarked word, I'm suing. Good luck in court, fuckers."  
  
They went to work, all of them feeling happy and giddy. Eliza especially - she watched the door expectantly, hoping that the next customer to walk in would be _Reynolds_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck, this chapter is LONG overdue, you guys! And I'm very, very sorry it took this long and it's still this short! But I haven't forgotten about this fic, don't worry!

So Eliza waited. And waited. And waited.  
  
She sat behind the counter, repeating the process of taking orders, making drinks, writing names, then doing it again. It seemed to go on for what felt like hours, Eliza's whole body buzzing with unsettled nerves and jitters, her head shooting up whenever the little bell above the door signified a new arrival, hoping to see a flash of the pretty red dress or flowing brown hair..  
  
No such luck.  
  
So, by the end of the day, when Eliza was helping Alex make a rather impressive tower of cups ("Don't put that _there,_ Eliza! You'll make it fall!") she heard the little bell ring quietly in the nearly empty shop. The young woman didn't look up, only placed another cup on the tower in the exact place Alex just told her not to and slumped to the counter, looking a little disappointed with the day's events. No sign of Reynolds. No sign of her big, brown eyes, or her shocking red lipstick. It was a silly thing to be upset over, the girl was probably busy, or she just didn't want coffee that day, but Eliza couldn't help but feel personally scorned. Still sulking, she mumbled. "Yes?" If this day could be over with, she'd appreciate that very much, so she could go home and sit in the shower for hours, in bed for hours, thinking of nothing but Reynolds and where she must be, dreaming of her and wanting nothing more than to pull her close and-  
  
"I'd like the usual, if that's alright.." The girl's voice immediately made Eliza jump and she found herself staring into the face of the woman she'd be head over heels for, who was looking a mix of both confused and greatly amused. "Oh- er-" Eliza stammered, throwing her hair into a ponytail and struggling to form a coherent sentence. "Right, right- I'll get right on that—" She wheezed, turning her back on Reynolds. She could hear the woman laugh a little behind her, but it wasn't mean-spirited. Eliza flushed, coughing and rushing away to make the sugary sweet drink for an impossibly beautiful woman. _God, Eliza,_ she thought bitterly to herself, _Angie was right. Your life really is like a romcom._  
  
Aside from seeing both Peggy and Lafayette wink at her, the over-all making of the drink and the walk back went smoothly. She got the order down perfectly, which she was of prouder of than she probably should be. Now, she was facing Reynolds, who was fishing money out of a little wallet with a picture of Tinker Bell on it (seriously, how cute is that?).  
  
"Name?" Eliza asked jokingly, as if she hadn't memorized the woman's name and the exact way she said it. Maybe this sort of thing could border on downright creepy. Reynolds, however, didn't seem to mind, playing along. "Maria."  
  
Maria? _Maria?_ Is _that_ her first name? Whoa.. Maria Reynolds. That was a very, very pretty name. The prettiest she's ever heard, she decides. Fumbling, Eliza writes the name on the cup and hands it to the other woman, who is eyeing her with an amused expression bordering on affectionate. Okay, _wow_ , she stops herself, because she's reading way too much into this and it's never that serious. Except now, it kind of is and Eliza's freaking out so much and holy shit Maria is saying something to her right now and she didn't hear a damn word of it because she was too busy overthinking everything.  
  
"I-I'm sorry?" Eliza blinked, staring once again at the beautiful, curved features of the woman's face. Maria. That was her name.  
  
"I said, keep the change. And thank you, miss Eliza." Eliza's heart skipped a beat. Well, alright, Maria might've only known her name because all she had to do was look down at the nametag on Eliza's shirt, but still! It's a little victory she's willing to take. The Schuyler tried not to let her glee show on her face, smiling at Maria and getting a smile in return, just as big. Oh boy. Oh gosh. This girl really does look like a model, even with the dorkiest smile on her face.  
  
And all too soon, it's over. Maria is bidding her good-bye, and the bell above the door rings and the room feels less stuffy again. Somewhere behind her, she hears a whistle, then two people yelling, _"Shut up, John!"_ and the sound of something heavy dropping to the floor. Eliza only shakes her head, laughing to herself.  
  
Today hasn't been a totally lost cause. She finally knows the woman's first name.. And maybe the next time she comes by, Eliza can ask to go grab some lunch sometime.. A date. Yeah.  
  
Next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, y'all! If you guys have any suggestions for what to add to the next chapters, go ahead and tell me! I appreciate every comment, kudos, hit, etc! You guys mean the world to me! <3


	4. Chapter 4

It takes weeks before she finally does it.  
  
In the meantime, Eliza takes every chance she gets to talk to Maria. And the woman seems to have no objections to this, opening up more with every question she's asked. Eliza learns Miss Reynolds has a dog named Susan, likes gardening, and paints in her free time, to which Eliza had blushed and stuttered, _"Hey, me too!"_ just because Peggy had said the flower she made in a high school art class was above decent. Really, she doesn't know how this woman can stand hanging around her, considering she's a mess. They talk, though, until Maria admits she takes the long way to her classes just to pass by the shop, and Eliza tells her she buys little bottles of sweet spices (cinnamon, mint, etc) just for Maria's coffee. It's nice and it makes it feel like they've been friends for a long time. Sometimes, Eliza will take a break early just to sit with Maria and talk to her at a table (even with the knowing glances from all of her co-workers) and ramble on and on about regular things, vacations and crazy things that they've seen people do.  
  
Like now. Eliza and Maria are sitting at the same little table in the corner they always go to, laughing and talking about whatever comes to mind. Eliza doesn't know what Maria's even saying, too busy focusing on the way the light catches on her hair, the way her eyes light up when she's especially excited about a certain subject. She rambles on for so long about her interests, and the Schuyler smiles, hanging onto every word when she's not too busy staring at her. She still can't get over how gorgeous this girl is.  
  
"And that's why I have to use labeled cups if I'm drinking water while I'm painting." Eliza caught the last of Maria's sentence as she slowly came back from her little trance, blinking and smiling. God, this woman was beautiful. And yes, Eliza is well aware that she thinks this every two seconds, but it always rings true, every single time she looks at Maria. The other woman was just so attractive, whether she was just talking, drinking coffee, or not doing anything at all. She had Eliza helpless.  
  
The Schuyler catches herself staring and averts her gaze, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. God, her hands are shaking.. "I was thinking," she says suddenly, startling Maria a bit. She blushes. "I know this really cool, uh, place to eat.. If you want to go.. sometime..." She trails off, heart beating loudly in her throat. She sees the look of surprise on the other woman's face, then a smile as she processes Eliza's words.  
  
"Oh! Of course!" Maria says, laughing. She tucks a strand if hair behind her ear and did she paint her nails a new color? They're so pretty, painted dark red with little blue patterns on them and _Jesus,_ Eliza, you really need to stop getting distracted. "I think-" She starts, mouth dry, "I think you might like it. It has sushi, but I don't really like sushi, but you might.." She's rambling and she knows it. Her mouth always seems to run off on it's own when she's nervous.  
  
Maria doesn't seem to mind. "Sushi's not my thing, either, really.. You don't have to take me anywhere expensive, don't worry. Big first dates aren't my forte, anyway."  
  
Eliza looks up, eyes wide. "First date?"  
  
Maria smiles quite knowingly. "I'm just poking fun, don't worry." Eliza looks back down at her own pretty shoes, leg shaking the way it always does when she's antsy like this. "We can just go to my house and order pizza, if that's cool with you.." No! Abort mission! Eliza didn't mean to say that at all! Her mouth just seems to think it can say whatever it wants now, without checking twice with her brain. God, now Maria must think she's weird, and she won't ever come back, and Eliza will never see her again and she'll be sad and lonely.  
  
"Really? I'd love that! Here, uh, just write down the address.. Is next Friday alright?" Maria sliding a napkin and a pen across the table brings Eliza out of her panicked thoughts. Wow. That worked out much better than she could've ever hoped. Eliza laughs nervously, picking the pen up and scribbling her address down, sliding the napkin back over to Maria. The other woman picks it up and examines it before pocketing it in her pretty leather jacket. Then, she takes another napkin and writes what must be her phone number on it before sliding it over. Eliza blinks, taking it and staring at it for an absurdly long time before tucking it into her apron.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Eliza thinks she can see Alexander giving her a thumbs up.  
  
"I should, ah, get back to work." Eliza says in a rush, looking back towards the front counter. There's barely a line there, but she feels she's in danger of overheating if she's around Maria for any longer. Maria, thankfully, doesn't take offense, and only nods. "Yeah, I've got some things I need to be doing, too.. See you on Friday?"  
  
"See you on Friday." Eliza repeats, smiling brightly. Maria leaves, waving as she goes, then she's gone, across the street and down the road. The Schuyler goes back to the counter, heart feeling weightless and every color in the room looking much brighter.  
  
"So you got her digits _and_ a date?" Laurens asks from a few feet away, arm around Alex's shoulders. They both have the same amused smile. "Oh, step off," Eliza says, although she doesn't mean it. Alex laughs, "Just don't tell Angelica about it. She'll never leave you alone about it."  
  
Somehow, as the words leave Alexander's mouth, the front door rings with a new arrival. And who else could this new arrival be except-  
  
"Angelica!" John says, looking as confused as Eliza feels. "And Peggy!" Peggy shouts, coming in behind Angelica. She looks like she'd been dragged here against her will. Her oldest sister seems exhausted, sweating and panting. "I ran," Angelica explains, as if she could read her younger sister's mind. "Also, good job, Eliza! My baby sister's all grown up!"  
  
"But how did you know—?" Eliza sputters. "Alex texted me," Angelica shrugs. At this, Alex holds his phone up, screen open on text messages he's exchanged with Angelica. Eliza doesn't know whether to be impressed or upset.  
  
"I'm so proud of yooouu!" Angie exclaims, pulling her sister into a bruising hug before she can wriggle her way out of it. Eliza voices her discontent, trying to shake the older woman off of her. "Angel, thanks, really, but please- is this neces-"  
  
"Sister hug!" Peggy shouts, and she bounces up and wraps her arms around the two of them. Alex and John look at eachother, shrugging. Then, as if they know just how much Eliza is already getting crushed, they also add to the hug, shouting over Eliza's protests. Needless to say, Eliza feels cramped, but very, very loved.  
  
******  
  
Later, they all grab dinner, talking loudly and laughing like they're very close family. To Eliza, they really are.  
  
"I hope you all don't mind that I invited Hercules," Lafayette announces, though he says it in a tone that says that he doesn't care whether they mind or not. Alex perks up, smiling at John. "What do you mean? Of course we don't mind!"  
  
"Yeah, we love Mulligan!" Peggy beamed. Her, Lafayette and Mulligan were pretty close.  
  
"Herc the Berc," John said in a sigh, leaning back against Alex, as if he couldn't already get any closer. Alex didn't seem to care, wrapping his arm around John's waist. Angelica, spotting this, raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Must you insist on calling him that?" Lafayette groaned, resting his forehead on the cool wood of the table. Eliza laughed, shaking her head. "You started calling him that first, though."  
  
"As a _joke._ I hadn't intended for you face-fucks to start saying it too!" Lafayette's dark skin was flushed a deep red.  
  
"Wait, back up, what did you just call us?" Angelica was looking on, amused, from the other side of the table. John, who was beside her, was three seconds away from laughing. "I called you face-fucks," Lafayette scoffed, as if this was a completely normal phrase. "Is that not what they say?"  
  
Peggy started laughing first. Then, everyone else joined in. "Oh my _god,_ sometimes I think you do this on purpose!" Peggy exclaimed, still in the middle of a fit of giggles. This only made Lafayette frown. "Oh, go- how you say-? _Go fuck yourself._ " He mocked, though he looked like he wanted to laugh, too.  
  
Not too long after, Mulligan had strolled up to the table, looking incredibly fashionable as always. He seemed to automatically make everyone more lively. Especially Lafayette. "It's Hercules the Bercules, bitches!" He had exclaimed when he sat down, laughing along with the rest of the table.  
  
The rest of the night went off without any problems, and after they'd all eaten, shared jokes, teased eachother, and everything else in between, they all parted ways at the door. Alex and John, Lafayette and Mulligan, and Peggy and Angelica had went home, all still chatting excitedly. Eliza stood by herself for a moment, breathing in the fresh air and just looking at the calm city around her. She always loved walking around and such at night, when everything was at a standstill and the stars were bright in the sky, the moon even brighter than the street lamps around her. It was calming, and Eliza wishes she could stay in this moment forever.  
  
In her jacket pocket, Eliza's fingers brush over the folded napkin with Maria's number on it.  
  
She smiles, starting to walk home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No new updates for a while, I think. But there'll be a new Ham Squah in the next few weeks if I get the time to upload it, so stay tuned.

 

"Next Friday" seems to take an eternity to arrive.  
  
Eliza spends the time until then reading, having a spa day with Peggy, helping Angelica move into her new apartment, and most importantly, _freaking the hell out._. So, the usual.  
  
"'Liza, you okay? You're looking a little.. Tense." Alex comments as he passes by, expression one of genuine worry. Eliza huffs and rests her head on the cool wood of one of the tables, dark hair pooling around her face. She's feeling a little sick, but not in an awful way, and her mind's been pleasantly fuzzy for the last few days.  
  
"You know she's got a date tomorrow, man, of course she's tense," Lafayette calls from the break room, walking out of it with two cups in hand. He strides over, slides a cup to Eliza, then walks back away to God knows where, whistling like the short encounter hadn't even happened. Eliza smiles.  
  
"The asshole, didn't even get _me_ anything," Alex mumbles, laughing. Then he helps himself to Eliza's drink, humming. "Too sweet." He makes a face.  
  
Eliza reaches for her cup, pretending to frown. "That's because it's _my_ drink, dummy. And now I have to get another lid, you put your gross saliva all over it." Alex snatches the cup from her once again, taking another long, deep drink from it just to spite her.  
  
"I don't recall doing such a thing. And besides, I wanted to get a reaction out of you- you've been so glum lately." He sets the cup back down, taking the seat next to her. "I'm sure you've got no reason to be worried, she really likes you." Despite the reassuring tone, Eliza feels anything but. She mumbles incoherently as Alex brushes through her hair with his fingers.  
  
"What if she doesn't, though? What if she laughs at the decor in my house? What if she laughs at my _dog?_ " Eliza lifts her head again.  
  
"She does. Hush. She won't laugh at your home decorating, Angelica helped with it so it'd be tasteful. And you don't have a dog." Alex laughs, ruffling Eliza's hair. She smiles back at him, spirits somewhat lifted. Maybe she's got butterflies for nothing. The nerves will come back in a few hours, but for now, Eliza feels just great.  
  
Eliza's nerves come back full force the next day.  
  
"I'm sure you don't have to clean the _entire house_ just for one little date." Peggy giggles from the couch, head on Angelica's crossed legs. Eliza frowns at the two of them, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she finishes wiping off the counters. Peggy is a right; she's sure Maria wouldn't mind all that much, cleaning the entire place isn't necessary. But she feels the need to impress the other woman, so she decides it's worth it.  
  
"Wrong. I do have to. And it's _not_ a date," Eliza corrects her. She still gets a little nervous just thinking about it.  
  
"Do you cleanse the entire abode when any of _us_ hang out?" Angelica teased. Eliza scoffed.  
  
"No! I just- Maria's special, alright?" She turned to wash her hands off so her sisters wouldn't see the shade of red her face had turned. "You two better get going, anyway. Don't you have to go meet with Alex and John?"  
  
"Oh!" Peggy sits up. "That's right! I have some questions as to some.. Texts, that they've accidentally sent me." She turns to face Angelica and they stare at eachother for three seconds until they both begin to laugh. Eliza rolls her eyes.  
  
"Tell me about it later, will you? Now out. Go. Please?" Eliza ushers them out of the door and watches them drive away in Angelica's beautiful expensive car until they're out of sight. Only then does Eliza allow herself to relax.  
  
Her state of calm only lasts five minutes. After that, she's sitting on th edge of her seat, watching the clock anxiously and trying to distract herself as the minutes tick by. Listening to music ("Countdown" by Beyoncé is always appropriate, right?) reading some books, watching TV, cooking. Eventually, she just finds herself back to staring at the time. And it's been long enough for Eliza to think Maria had forgotten about the date entirely. Well, why wouldn't she? Eliza was just some average rich girl, not unique at all. Maybe Maria had more important things to do than hang out with somebody like Eliza-  
  
There's a knock at her door.  
  
Eliza's heart stops in her chest and it takes her a long time until she stands, shaky hands turning the doorknob and opening the door. She's very relieved when she sees Maria, looking a little frazzled but otherwise as gorgeous as ever. There's something a little off about her, just a tad, but Eliza shakes it off in favor of pulling Maria into a hug.  
  
"Sorry, I uh- got caught up in something. I hope you're not mad at me, though you've got every right to be." Maria laughs, pulling away from the hug and beaming at Eliza. Eliza feels all the nerves from the past week melt away. God, this woman was so beautiful and she really just wanted to kiss her until they were both breathless. Of course, she refrains from doing so, but the feeling so obviously there.  
  
Maria mumbles something about traffic being complete hell as she takes her hat off, shaking flakes of snow from her hair. When had it started snowing? Eliza had been too busy staring at the clock to notice. The Schuyler stops to take in the other woman's appearance- the flecks of snow still in her hair and on her clothes, the dorky sweater she's wearing (a deep red one, with a big, dark blue _R_ in the middle like some cute rendition of a Weasley sweater) hell, Eliza even takes in the exact shade of Maria's lipstick, which she notes is different from the one she usually sees her with. At this, Eliza finally notices what she thought was off about the other woman.  
  
Just underneath Maria's right eye was what looked like a faded bruise, ugly and so barely visible and small that Eliza wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been paying close attention.  
  
Maria, as if she noticed just where Eliza was looking, turns away and starts to talk about some huge dog she'd seen on the way. The tense moment passes. Eliza blinks, feeling worried, but she decides that it'd be inconsiderate of her to pry, so she laughs it off, telling Maria to go ahead and wait on the couch while she orders some pizza. Things are so... Normal. It feels as if they'd been friends for a very ling time, rather than just a little more than a month. Even the way they argue over pizza toppings feels familiar and friendly ("We are _not_ putting pineapple on it!" "Why not? It's good!" "For heathens, maybe!") and Eliza is nothing but grateful for the chill atmosphere, even if she catches herself stealing glances at what she's sure is a small bruise under Maria's eye more often than not. Where did it come from? Who could've possibly put their hands on such a beautiful woman? Eliza feels a flare of anger just thinking of it.  
  
When the pizza arrives, it's a little past midnight, and Eliza and Maria are halfway through _Coraline_ , both feeling the need to make very necessary comments every so often.  
  
"This movie still freaks me out, honestly," Maria admits during a particularly spooky scene, Eliza setting two boxes of pizza on the coffee table in front of the couch. One pineapple, one mushroom, they'd eventually compromised.  
  
"I can see why. I hate scary movies that have anything to do with dolls or like.. Inanimate objects. And button eyes- that's pretty creepy, too." Eliza mumbles, sitting on the other side of the couch. How close would _'too close'_ be?  
  
"I dunno. I think killer dolls are cute," Maria teases, rolling up the sleeves of her dorky Weasley sweater so she can eat. Eliza watches her, smiling brightly.  
  
They sit like that for a long while, past two in the morning, talking and eating and laughing. By two forty-eight, they're both sleepy. Maria yawns, sparing a glance at the clock. "Well, I think it's about time I head home.."  
  
"Wait!" Eliza squeaks, shooting up fast, fully awake. "It's so late- it's dangerous to drive when you're so tired and it's so dark out-" it's a lie, she knows it is, but her mouth is working too fast for her to stop it. "Maybe you can stay..?"  
  
Maria stares at her, expression unreadable. "I'd really like to," she says slowly, "but I've really got to go. Maybe- maybe next Saturday, if you're not doing anything?" She sounds hopeful.  
  
"Oh! Of course! But, are you absolutely sure? It's so late, and I have a spare room-"  
  
"Alright, alright." Maria cuts her off with a weird look on her face. "I'll stay. Just show me where the spare room is and I won't bother you."  
  
Eliza beams. Over the next five minutes, Maria is officially settled into the guest room (the room beside Eliza's) and is laying face-down on the large bed, thanking Eliza over and over. The Schuyler smiles, says it's no big deal, and heads into her own room to sleep and not think of just how badly she wants to kiss the woman in the next room.  
  
When she awakes the next morning, the guest room is empty, a lone note sitting on the made bed.  
  
_'Sorry! I really had to run- loved hanging out with you, though!_  
  
\- Maria'  
  
Eliza doesn't know what she expected. Well, she at least hopes Maria made it home safely.  
  
She goes about her day, making herself breakfast, hanging around her house for a while until heading down to the coffee shop for her shift. John is waiting for her at the counter.  
  
"Girl, where _were_ you? We've been trying to call you all day." He exclaims. Eliza, sheepishly remembering her phone which she'd left on the kitchen counter, mutters an apology.  
  
"I've had a lot on my mind," Is all she replies with, tying the apron around her waist and starting to get situated. "Where's Angelica?" She asks, looking around the shop. Her sister usually showed up around this time, before she had to go to her own job.

  
"Out looking for you, duh," Lafayette answers, walking by with a stack of new cups. He looks tired of just about everything. Eliza wonders if he'd gotten any sleep this week.  
  
"If only you could've seen the texts she's been sendin' me. 'Oh my god, she hasn't texted me since last night, do you think she's alright?', 'I hope that girl didn't hurt her feelings or anything', 'what if something happened to her?'" He mimics Angelica's voice, rolling his eyes and snorting. "You'd think she was your mom and not your sister."  
  
"Speak of the Devil and she shall arrive," Lafayette mumbled as Angelica walked through the door, looking breathless. Eliza really doesn't know how her sister has such impeccable timing.  
  
"Eliza, oh my goodness, do you know how long I've been looking for you?" Angelica says, exasperated. She's smiling, though. "How'd it go, though?"  
  
"I was just in my house, you know. And it went fine," Eliza rolled her eyes, flushing red to her ears. Peggy took that moment to enter, mumbling something about Angelica never being able to wait up for her to catch up.  
  
"Liiiiisten, I don't want to talk about it, alright?" Eliza attempts to speak over the exaggerated groans of her friends and sisters, "It's personal, okay? It was fine, we both had fun, I think."  
  
"How much fun?" Peggy asks, eyebrows raised and her tone suggestive. Eliza makes a face.  
  
"We were just hanging out. Nothing like that." She sputters, willing the blush on her cheeks to cool down.  
  
"Keep telling yourself that," Alexander says, sliding in from what Eliza is sure is thin air, looking cheerful.  
  
The group hang out for a while, until Peggy and Angelica have to get to their own jobs, and the rest decide to get to work, not wanting to leave the little line of customers waiting any longer.  
  
The day drags on and on, and despite her hopes, Eliza doesn't see Maria once. Not even when she's closing up. The whole day goes by and she sees no trace of her, doesn't even get a reply when she texts the woman, playfully asking if she'd found another coffee shop to hang out at.  
  
She tells herself that Maria is just busy.  
  
Three weeks go by like this, and Eliza's worries worsen. She hopes Maria's absence has nothing to do with the fading bruise Eliza had seen under her eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I'm not moving too fast??? I'm really bad at writing in general so sorry if I am. Hope you enjoyed, babes

**Author's Note:**

> Love y'all! Be sure to leave suggestions cause you know I always need constant approval. <3


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